Pro Pickleball Player Yuta Funemizu Wins First PPA Tour Tokyo Tournament in Men's Doubles!

Visional-supported professional pickleball player Yuta Funemizu (Funemizu Yuta) competed and won the men's doubles at the "PPA ASIA 500 Sansan TOKYO OPEN 2026," the first PPA Tour tournament held in Tokyo from July 1 to 4, 2026, at Arena Tachikawa Tachihi and Dome Tachikawa Tachihi. Funemizu achieved the remarkable feat of becoming the first Japanese man to win a PPA ASIA title.

Funemizu partnered with Tama Shimabukuro from Hawaii for the men's doubles at this tournament. Funemizu and Shimabukuro are the same pair who achieved the historic first-ever PPA Tour tournament victory for a Japanese player in the men's doubles final of the "PPA 500 San Clemente," the final event of the season held in the United States in May of this year. In the final of this tournament, they defeated former world number 1 Collin Johns and others after a fierce battle, clinching the top spot in front of Japanese fans.

Funemizu is ranked 25th in the world (men's doubles) in the global rating system "DUPR," the first Japanese man to achieve this ranking (as of June 29, 2026). He demonstrated the results of his daily training to the fullest at this tournament, which brought together strong players from Japan and abroad.

Yuta Funemizu and Tama Shimabukuro, the first Japanese men's winners of PPA ASIA (C) AAS Management

Tournament Overview

- Tournament Name: PPA ASIA 500 Sansan TOKYO OPEN 2026 Produced by TBS

- Dates: July 1 - July 4, 2026

- Venue: Arena Tachikawa Tachihi / Dome Tachikawa Tachihi (Tachikawa City, Tokyo)

Match Results (Men's Doubles)

- Partner: Tama Shimabukuro (American player)

- Result: Winner (First Japanese man to win PPA ASIA)

- Round of 16: 〇 2-0 vs Yuta Yoshida / Ikuto Kurosawa (11-3, 11-8)

- Quarterfinals: 〇 2-0 vs Wil Shaffer / Zane Navratil (11-3, 11-8)

- Semifinals: 〇 2-1 vs Eunggwon Kim / Wong Hong Kit (12-10, 6-11, 11-5)

- Final: 〇 2-1 vs Collin Johns / Len Yang (8-11, 11-2, 11-7)

[Yuta Funemizu's Comments]

"It is a special feeling to be able to win in front of the Japanese fans at this historic tournament, the first PPA Tour event held in Tokyo. Since winning the title in America, I have put immense pressure on myself, believing that I cannot truly create a significant wave for pickleball in Japan without winning this Asian tour and the tournament here. I have been meticulously preparing through the Beijing tournament, so to achieve the victory I aimed for is an unparalleled joy.

The final was an extremely tough match, but in the difficult moments, the passionate cheers from everyone who came to the venue and the support from many people watching the live stream gave me great strength to make a comeback. This is not just my challenge; it is a supreme victory won together by the entire Japanese team. I can feel firsthand that the number of people actually playing the sport domestically and new fans coming to watch the matches is visibly increasing, and I am very excited about the future of pickleball in Japan.

I will not be satisfied with this result; this is just the beginning. With my goal of 'World Number 1' in sight, I will further refine my playing accuracy. I will be moving to the United States immediately, and starting July 8, my matches will begin with the Miami Pickleball Club in MLP. I will fight with all my might as a key player to lead the team to the playoffs and to a league championship. I will continue to push forward with all my effort to deliver good news to everyone in Japan, so I ask for your continued support."

Visional, whose group mission is "Creating new possibilities, one after another," will continue to support the new possibilities of Funemizu, who challenges the world.

Yuta Funemizu's Upcoming Schedule

Funemizu is scheduled to compete in the U.S. professional league "Major League Pickleball (MLP)" with his team, the "Miami Pickleball Club." Aiming to be the world's best in pickleball, Funemizu will compete for the league championship as a key player for his club this year, following his debut season last year as the first Japanese player on the MLP stage. Furthermore, Funemizu has had an exclusive contract with the "United Pickleball Association (UPA)" in the U.S. since last year and plans to continue participating in the "PPA Tour" operated by the UPA.

【Yuta Funemizu Player Profile】

Started soft tennis at the age of 5, influenced by his family. In 2009, he entered Tohoku High School and won both the Inter-High School team and individual championships. In 2012, he entered Waseda University. He won the All Japan University Soft Tennis Championships for four consecutive years, winning all team, doubles, and singles titles. In 2015, as a fourth-year university student, he was selected for the World Championships team and became world champion in the team competition. In 2016, he joined NTT West, the top team in the soft tennis corporate league with approximately 200 teams nationwide, and achieved 10 consecutive Japan League titles. He was active at the highest level, winning the All Japan Corporate Championships, National Sports Festival, Japan League, and international tournaments as a member of the Japanese national team. He began his career as a professional soft tennis player in 2020.

In January 2024, he moved to the United States alone. In March 2025, he was drafted by the "Miami Pickleball Club" in the U.S. professional pickleball league "Major League Pickleball (MLP)." As the first Japanese MLP player, he established himself as a regular player in the latter half of his first season and contributed to his club's advancement to the playoffs. In 2026, he was re-signed as a key player for the same club. He specializes in the right side of doubles and has a unique volley style. In May 2026, he recorded a world ranking of 25th (men's doubles) in the global rating system "DUPR," the first Japanese man to do so. Born in 1993, he is 32 years old and from Aomori Prefecture.

YouTube: Pickleball Japan TV (@pickleball-japan)

Official URL: https://aasmanagement.com/profile/yuta_funemizu/

<Reference Information>

【About Pickleball】

Pickleball, which originated in the United States, is a racket sport that combines elements of tennis and table tennis. Played on a court the same size as a badminton court, players hit a perforated ball with paddles. In the U.S., the number of people playing pickleball is projected to reach 24.3 million in 2025, with a 479% increase in participation from 2020 to 2025 (※1), making it one of the fastest-growing sports. Prominent figures are among the owners of professional leagues like MLP, and the market is rapidly expanding worldwide. In Japan, the number of players is estimated to have increased to approximately 330,000 (※2), attracting attention.

※1: Sports and Fitness Industry Association

"U.S. Pickleball Participation Statistics" (Published 2026)

https://sfia.org/research/u-s-pickleball-participation/

※2: Pickleball One Inc. "[Japan Pickleball Market Research 2026] 330,000 players, potential 11.89 million - Growth potential of '36 times' indicates early-stage growth market"

https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000024.000133975.html

【About Visional】

With the group mission "Creating new possibilities, one after another," Visional promotes the digital transformation (DX) of industries, primarily in the HR Tech domain, through various businesses. Centered around recruitment platforms such as "BizReach" and "BizReach for Internal Recruitment" which prevents talent outflow through internal scouting, and the HR platform "HRMOS" series, the company aims to build a human capital data platform for corporations. Additionally, Visional is launching new businesses in the M&A, logistics tech, and cybersecurity fields. https://www.visional.inc/